DRC: UN announces July 19 it will close five bases by July 31

Event

On Wednesday, July 19, the United Nations (UN) announced that it will close five bases in North Kivu province by July 31. A UN statement claims that the closures are due to a new operational doctrine, which includes long-distance patrols, air surveillance, and rapid-deployment capabilities, and is in line with the UN’s strategy for military interventions by peacekeeping forces.

Context

A UN peacekeeping force has been deployed in the DRC since 1999, largely to protect civilians from the conflict between the government and armed rebel groups. The UN has voted to cut the size of the peacekeeping force from 19,815 to 16,215.

In May, the UN decided to cut USD 600 million from the peacekeeping budget due to pressure from the United States.

Advice

Due to these and other security concerns, many Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu (particularly outside the cities of Goma and Bukavu), as well as the northeast portion of Eastern province and the northern part of Katanga due to the presence of armed groups. Certain governments also advise against nonessential travel to the rest of the country.